In the Kitchen With Janet Smith

 in Favorite Recipes / Now Magazines by

These recipes were contributed by Janet Smith, a Waxahachie resident, and originally appeared in the WaxahachieNOW May 2015 issue.

Mother’s Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies

  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 2 sticks unsalted butter
  • 2/3 cup Skippy Creamy Peanut Butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tsp. vanilla
  • 1 12-oz. bag chocolate chunk chips or 1 cup milk chocolate and white chocolate chips
  • 1 1/4 cups pecans, coarsely chopped
  1. Preheat oven to 325 F. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a medium-sized mixing bowl. 
  2. Beat butter, peanut butter and sugars together in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs and vanilla until blended. Stir in flour until blended and dough forms.
  3. Stir in the chocolate or chocolate chips and pecans. Drop cookies by the teaspoonful onto a cookie sheet. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until golden brown around the edges and lightly browned on top. 

 

Peach Cooler

Serves 4.

  • 1 12-oz. bottle lemon-lime carbonated beverage
  • 2 8-oz. cans peach halves
  • 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
  • 2 scoops vanilla ice cream
  • 1/4 cup crushed ice
  1. In a blender, combine first three ingredients until smooth. Serve as a topper over ice cream or in a glass of ice. 

 

Bread Pudding With Whiskey Sauce

Serves 10-12. 

  • 1 16-oz. loaf French bread
  • 2 cups milk
  • 1 cup cream sherry
  • 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 cup raisins
  • 1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted (divided use)
  • 2 Tbsp. vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup honey
  1. Break bread into small chunks. Place in large bowl. Add milk and sherry; stir well. Let stand for 10 minutes.
  2. Combine eggs, sugar, raisins, 2 Tbsp. butter and vanilla. Add to bread mixture; stir well. Spoon mixture into a lightly greases 13x9x2-inch baking dish. Combine honey and remaining butter. Pour over bread mixture.
  3. Bake at 350 F for 45 minutes or until set and lightly browned. Serve with Whiskey Sauce. See recipe below.

 

Whiskey Sauce

Yields 3 cups. 

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1 Tbsp. cornstarch
  • 1/4 cup cold water
  • 3/4 cup bourbon
  1. Combine the first 3 ingredients in a heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until sugar dissolves and butter melts. 
  2. Combine cornstarch and water. Add cornstarch mixture and bourbon to milk mixture; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally. 

 

Nanny’s Buttermilk Pound Cake

  • 1 cup Crisco vegetable shortening
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 4 eggs, room temperature
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 3/4 tsp. salt
  • 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 9-inch fluted tube pan. Beat shortening with sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs to mixture one at a time, mixing well after each before adding the next. Mix vanilla into egg mixture.
  2. Whisk flour, soda, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Alternate adding flour mixture and buttermilk to egg mixture, stirring until batter is smooth and creamy.
  3. Pour into prepared tube pan. Bake for about 1 hour. Allow to cool before serving.